Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia has a very long history of innovation and invention. We in this chamber know that Australians invented spray-on skin, wi-fi and the black box. These are parts of our history that many of us are very proud of. But it would be very glib and very simplistic of those of us in this House to talk about those achievements in a way that implies that, because of them, we are well placed to embrace the jobs of the future.

We all know that technology is changing our economy in ways that we would not have foreshadowed 20 years ago. An Oxford University study last year found that 47 per cent of jobs that exist today will be gone in two decades. We know that the jobs at the lower end of the skills spectrum are the ones that are disappearing most quickly. We also know that 75 per cent of the fastest growing jobs categories in this country are those that involve STEM skills.

Labor is the only party in this country right now with a plan for addressing some of the challenges we face—and they are many. We know that we do not have enough young people studying in STEM subjects. We know that we do not have enough companies around this country investing in research and development. I am very proud of Labor's plan to help young people get into STEM training and to encourage more people into these important and growing fields.